The bid-catcher

Bram van den Enden's main job at Euro Auctions is to look for consigners, that is people or companies, which want to sell their equipment via auction. On auction day he is one of an active team of "bid catchers" who work on the auction-floor encouraging bids and conveying them to the auctioneer.

Mr van den Enden's works in the Benelux area and mostly finds equipment to sell at Euro Auction's German auctions, "In my job," he says you must be able to smell a deal, I work mostly in Benelux but I can go anywhere- Eastern Europe, Scandanavia."

Before coming to Euro Auctions, Mr van den Enden had worked for an auction house in the Middle East, "The most important thing in this busness is to build and maintain relationships," he says.

"For example if new customers are unsure about selling [through Euro Actions], I bring them along to the auction. Quite often buyers will become sellers."

On auction days the bid catchers will also be aware of buyers needs and will do their best to make sure they get the equipment they came for. It is also their responsibility to check that new or unknown customers are not exceeding their financial limits.

"There were some Italian buyers here today, "explained Mr van den Enden, "I knew they were here for some particular machines, we communicated in our common language, which was French, and I helped them placing their bids."

Euro Auction's German auctions are the newest of the company's enterprises, "[Euro Auctions is] the only auction company, which has succeed in Germany," says Mr van den Enden,"others have tried and failed."

He explains that at first the German market was not keen but the advantages are starting to filter through and there are now more indigenous German participants with some German buyers also travelling to UK auctions.